The invention is directed to electrical connectors and more particularly to electrical connectors having a terminal positioning assurance member.
In various applications of electrical connectors, devices are utilized to lock the terminals in place and to assure that they are in proper position within the electrical connector. One such field is in the automotive field where the application typically requires a so-called secondary locking system, that is, a redundant retention system for locking the terminals in place, as well as a terminal position assurance mechanism (TPA) which assures that the terminals are proper position longitudinally within the respective cavities. This prevents a proper mating of a corresponding electrical connector, where some of the lines are open due to one or more terminals not being fully loaded.
Certain electrical connectors are provided with housings having cavities extending therethrough for receiving terminals, each cavity provided with a resilient locking lance integrally molded with the housing for locking a terminal inserted therein. In order to further secure the terminals within the housing, it is common to provide a secondary housing member that is moveable against the locking lances to prevent the locking lances from outwardly biasing. In other words, the locking lances are blocked into their latching position. It is known to provide the secondary member pre-assembled to the housing in a pre-assembly position that allows insertion of the terminals into the connector cavities. The secondary member can then be moved to a fully locked position whereby the terminals are locked in the cavities.
In essence, these TPAs constitute front-loaded wedges that are shipped in a pre-stage position, which are intended to be activated, or moved into their final position, after the terminals are assembled into the housing. The TPA has a pre-locked position, but the TPA senses a partially inserted terminal, not the absence of a terminal. Traditionally, these connectors are shipped in bulk to the end user or harness maker, where the wire harnesses are made, wires crimped to the terminals, and terminals inserted into the housing cavities. Thereafter, the TPA member is moved into the final position. However, one of the difficulties with such system is that these systems tend to become locked during shipping, and the customer is left with the task of attempting to dislodge the TPA from the final locked position.
The objects of the invention are to improve upon the above mentioned systems.
The invention was accomplished by providing an electrical connector having a housing having at least one terminal receiving cavity extending from a rear wire entry to a front face of the housing. The housing has a front latching member extending forwardly adjacent to the front face, and the front latching member has a front leading end. A terminal positioning assurance member slidably is receivable over the front face of the housing, the terminal positioning assurance member including a rearwardly facing, flexible latch member having a rearwardly facing stop surface aligned with the front leading end of the front latch member. An electrical terminal member is also receivable into the terminal receiving cavity, the electrical terminal having a raised projection which is profiled for engaging and biasing outwardly, the rearwardly facing stop surface of the flexible latch member. The terminal positioning assurance member is held in a pre-assembled position where the rearwardly facing stop surface of the flexible latch member abuts the front leading end of the front latch member, until the terminal is inserted into the cavity to a position where the raised projection deflects the flexible latch member, and the flexible latch passes over, and locks behind the front latching member in a fully assembled position.
The front latching member is defined by two spaced apart walls cantilevered from the housing, with a latching bar spanning between the walls, the flexible latching member locking to the latching bar in the fully assembled position. The latching bar includes a ramped surface on a lower edge thereof, which is profiled for engaging said raised projection on the terminal. The flexible latch member is defined by a cantilevered latch arm having a ramped surfacing sloping rearwardly upwardly, the ramping surface being profiled for engaging the latching bar and assisting in the deflection on the cantilevered latch arm over the latching bar.
The connector further comprises cooperable latching elements on the housing and terminal positioning assurance member to latch the housing and terminal positioning assurance member in the pre-assembled position. The cooperable latching elements are comprised of a cantilevered latching arm extending from the terminal positioning assurance member, engageable with a shoulder on the housing.
The terminal receiving cavity has an open upper face, and the front latching member extending partially over the open upper face, and the rearwardly facing, flexible latch member extending over the open upper face from an opposite position.
The electrical terminal includes a forward contact area, a wire crimp section and a strain relief section, the raised projection extending upwardly from the forward contact section. The electrical terminal includes an inner contact member and an outer protective box-shaped cover, the raised projection extending upwardly from the outer protective box-shaped cover. The raised projection is comprised of a rearwardly extending ramped surface and a top surface.
In another aspect of the invention, an electrical connector, comprises a housing having at least one terminal receiving cavity extending from a rear wire entry to a front face of the housing, an electrical terminal member receivable into the terminal receiving cavity, and a terminal positioning assurance member slidably receivable over the front face of the housing. The housing has a front latching member extending forwardly adjacent to the front face, the front latching member having a front leading end, the terminal positioning assurance member including a rearwardly facing, flexible latch member having a rearwardly facing stop surface aligned with the front leading end of the front latch member. The terminal positioning assurance member is held in a pre-assembled position where the rearwardly facing stop surface of the flexible latch member abuts the front leading end of the front latch member, until the terminal is inserted into the cavity to a position where the terminal deflects the flexible latch member, and the flexible latch passes over, and locks behind the front latching member in a fully assembled position.
The electrical terminal includes a raised projection being profiled for engaging and biasing outwardly, the rearwardly facing stop surface of the flexible latch member. The electrical terminal includes a forward contact area, a wire crimp section and a strain relief section, the raised projection extending upwardly from the forward contact section. The electrical terminal includes an inner contact member and an outer protective box-shaped cover, the raised projection extending upwardly from the outer protective box-shaped cover. The raised projection is comprised of a rearwardly extending ramped surface and a top surface.
The front latching member is defined by two spaced apart walls cantilevered from the housing, with a latching bar spanning between the walls, the flexible latching member locking to the latching bar in the fully assembled position. The flexible latch member is defined by a cantilevered latch arm having a ramped surfacing sloping rearwardly upwardly, the ramping surface being profiled for engaging the latching bar and assisting in the deflection on the cantilevered latch arm over the latching bar.
The electrical connector further includes cooperable latching elements on the housing and terminal positioning assurance member to latch the housing and terminal positioning assurance member in the pre-assembled position. The cooperable latching elements are comprised of a cantilevered latching arm extending from the terminal positioning assurance member, engageable with a shoulder on the housing.
The terminal receiving cavity has an open upper face, and the front latching member extending partially over the open upper face, and the rearwardly facing, flexible latch member extending over the open upper face from an opposite position.